View full sizeFrancesco Portelos, a computer technology teacher, has been blogging about his battle with the DOE since he was removed from Dreyfus

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Dreyfus Intermediate School teacher removed from his position by the Department of Education has been streaming live video of himself whiling away the day in an empty DOE office, as he continues to collect his $75,000 annual salary.

Rosebank resident Francesco Portelos, a computer technology teacher, has been blogging about his battle with the DOE since he was removed from Dreyfus. He was reassigned to an office in Ozone Park, Queens, where he's supposed to be performing "administrative duties" as he awaits a hearing for disciplinary charges.

Thursday, Portelos set up a live video stream from the office, showing himself in empty room that appears to be a conference room, sitting alone at the end of a long table with his laptop computer.

"Right now, my ideal situation would be to be in front of a classroom. All I want to do is to educate those kids," he told the Advance in a phone interview from his room.

Portelos, 33, says he is being punished because he accused Dreyfus principal Linda Hill of breaking Department of Education (DOE) rules by not sharing details of the school's $7.7 million budget with the panel of parents and staff who are supposed to review the figures. No charges have been lodged against the principal, Ms. Hill.

According to the Department of Education, rubber rooms -- where teachers under investigation literally did nothing -- were done away with in 2010. Teachers awaiting hearings were given clerical work instead. Department spokeswoman Connie Pankratz told the Associated Press that all teachers who have been removed from the classroom are working "in an administrative capacity."

But the "rubber room" language has stuck -- it's now a euphemism for teachers wasting their time while on administrative leave."

Portelos has been a technology teacher at Dreyfus for more than four years and says he has received satisfactory ratings and has been popular with students and parents. He has been credited with using computer technology and creative programming to motivate at-risk students at the Title I school and keep them focused on their studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

In June the faculty and staff at Dreyfus elected Portelos as their union chapter leader by a 43 to 32 vote. The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) position is non-paying.

Even though he was removed from the classroom in April, Portelos continues to draw his $75,000 teacher's salary.

Charges against Portelos have been referred to the office of special investigations commissioner Richard Condon. DOE officials would not comment on specific charges, but told NY1 that Portelos "has been extremely difficult to work with" and has multiple investigations pending against him.